Recalls of school board elections have almost doubled in the last four years, pushing the usually overlooked elections into the national spotlight. The usually non-partisan elections have taken a turn for the political: Republicans running for larger races, such as governor or state positions, encouraging their constituents to push a partisan Republican agenda within local elections. This is a part of what the New York Times coined the new conservative strategy. By encouraging activity in school board elections, Republicans attempt to remobilize their white suburban voter base, which had shifted Democratic over the last eight years.
In theory, greater attention on school board elections would be an amazing thing for America. After all, passionate and engaged voters are what makes democracy effective. However, in the wake of the January 6th insurrection and distrust in the very foundations of democracy has created a newly dangerous playing field for anyone involved in elections, from voters, citizens running for local office, and volunteers who count votes and organize elections. In several school districts, police have had to escort anti-mask protestors out of town halls. Citizens running for school board positions have been yelled at, accused of crimes, and have had personal insults hurled at them during their campaigns. Volunteer vote counters have even received death threats due to a distrust in their positions, rooted in false claims of election fraud stirred by the controversy of the 2020 presidential election.
Aside from the obvious dangers of an impassioned voter base threatening their fellow citizens, this political bullying has greater implications for the results of local elections. If Republicans mobilize their voter base to bully their way into local elections, the voices of the few impassioned could overpower the voices of less passionate voters. Furthermore, the people running for these offices are not all seasoned politicians, and do not receive special attention from the federal government. If local Democrats aren’t offered the protection from harassment and threats, Republicans could flood not only the voter base, but those running for office as well, leading to general political imbalance on the local level.
Due to the deepening divide of partisan politics in America, restoring balance and equal opportunity amongst candidates for local elections is crucial for this foundation of democracy. In an age after a violent insurrection due to a distrust of the largest national election, America must rebuild trust in its institutions from the ground up. Social institutions of trust have strong indicators for the success of economies, policies, and society as a whole. Those running for local public office deserve more attention, funding, and protection from the federal government in order to build back trust for America’s most basic institution: democracy.
